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Saturday, September 7, 2013

ARC Review: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Hi Lovely People!

In the midst of my busy college life, I had the time to experience and review The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater. I want to thank Scholastic for allowing me to read an E-ARC on Netgalley. The following review is completely honest and a bit contradictory because my emotions towards this story are captured in a personally unfamiliar paradox.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Publication Date: September 17th, 2013

Publisher: Scholastic

Source- E-ARC on Netgalley

Rating: THOUGHTS OF GRAY STARS

My review:

Immediately
after finishing review:

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater is both excellent
and terrible. While reading, I felt both detached and impressed. The final
pages urge me to forget the rough start and just remember the beauty of what I
just read, the final surprise. To just remember the strong passion that erupted
inside me as I was rooting for the Grey Man and Ronan in their individual
quests. But I can't forget the many pages waiting for me to feel connected. The
reading time where I just want to stop reading because the writing, though
gorgeous and special, lack a sweet rhythm.

Later in the day
review:

If you were to
ask me, “Which author do I wish I could write like? “, I would immediately say,
“Maggie Stiefvater.”

Maggie weaves
ordinary words in an mystical order that leaves behind a masterpiece. She is a master at the
intricate rule of creative writing- to show instead of simply stating events.

Two instances:

“Was he unsaved?
Would he have ever ended up any other way?” pg. 225 of my E-ARC

These words lit
a fire within me that wanted to hug this character. A urge to do something,
anything, to alleviate his pain and wishing along with anything his present
state was unaffected by his past.

“The past was
something that had happened to another version of himself, a version that could
be lit and hurled away.”

This is an
amazing metaphor that you will have to read this story to fully comprehend. The
comma is in the perfect place. This sweet rendition brilliantly reveals a
character reaching a euphoric state.

Both lines
lingered in my mind because of the words are in all the right places. How can
Maggie do this in every of her written lines?

While every
sentence is a rich diamond, a connective rhythm did not carry between the story
and me throughout every page, every moment.

Some moments my
connection to the story drifted. I found myself just reading to see what’s
next, but not enjoying the process. The leaves of boredom did not stem from
which character was narrating. Instead, the leaves grew from the slow events, the
slow transgression to plot and confusion. These are the moments where I am
thinking, “When can this story be over?” and “Maybe I should give up?”

Then, moments
come where I am completely awake and aching. Moments where I am enthralled by
the story, feeling pity, rage, astonishment, love. Suddenly, everything makes
sense because I am thoroughly involved and understand what is inexplicably said
and just pictured. Oh, that character is now ... Ahhhhh.

The characters
are all the life force that strengthens this story. Adam touches me with his
pain and longing for love. Gansey is gripping and strong, full of leadership
and courage. Ronan is a loving brother and forgiver. Blue is rich of life.

Noah. I love the
quiet guys. I wish upon a star that he will be the main Raven Boy in the next
book. So much of him remains a mystery. I need his perspective. He possessed a
staring role in my favorite chapter of the Dream
Thieves.

When I first met
the Gray Man, it was during a part of the story where I was completely detached
from the story. I felt a rush of déjà vu, as heavy as water dripping from a
waterfall. The rush felt like a throbbing neck, an injury that could result
from strong pressure from water. A question emerged in my head, “Would he be a
second Whelk?”

Thankfully he
was not. He is more than he appears to be. He is neither good nor bad, neither
unforgivable nor forgivable, neither lifeless nor energetic. He is a man with a
thorn prickling inside him and above him. I desperately wished for the
disintegration of that thorn.

This is a special read. It was a hard read. A read
I would not re-read. A book you need to read. Read when you are ready to stick inclusively to the story with strong concentration.

12 comments:

Ahh Rachel! I love your review, even if you do have a lot of contradictory feelings for the book. I've been in that situation a handful of times before, so I do completely understand what it's like.

If you were to ask me, “Which author do I wish I could write like? “, I would immediately say, “Maggie Stiefvater.” --> I totally agree with that! I thought that while I was reading the book, and also while I was writing my review. MS's writing style is EXACTLY what I wish mine could be like.

And I agree with you about Noah! I'm really looking forward to finding out more about him. I think he deserves more of a spotlight soon.

Oh my gosh you have made this sound so amazing. All the ARC reviews are so positive it makes me want this book ASAP. You are definitely right in saying that this is one you need to focus on, I remember reading the Raven Boys and expecting to fly through it and that wasn't really the case. You need to slow down and savor it.

Aww, it's a shame you didn't wholly love this the way most readers did. I'm still glad to see you enjoyed it, though, and it doesn't diminish my excitement for this novel at all. I agree that Stiefvater's writing is unparalleled and I'm really looking forward to meeting the Gray Man, along with more of the Raven Boys themselves. Lovely review, Rachel!(:

Such a gorgeous and thoughtful review, Rachel! Even though you were unsure how you felt about this, I could totally see where you were coming from and I appreciated it immensely. I didn't want to take the arc because this is something I want to experience fully, so I decided to wait for the hardcover after all.

Thank you for such a thorough analysis and for sharing your thoughts so beautifully.

Wow, I can hear your conflicting feelings for this book throughout the whole review, Rachel! It sounds like you had a tough time with it, but I'm glad you found some beauty in it after all. (INCLUDING THAT AMAZING NOAH CHAPTER.)

Are you going to be continuing with this series? I guess so, since you're hoping for a Noah book?!

I love your passion for this book, both positive and negative. I totally had some of the same issues with The Raven Boys, so what's why I didn't want to read The Dream Thieves, because I would find that it was a really hard read, as well. I hate when something happens that makes me lose my connection with the story.

I am trying to find time to get this worked into my schedule. It took forever to get approved for my copy. I liked Raven Boys but thought it was missing something in Maggie's writing. From what I saw of your quotes, I think she has managed to bring it back. I adore Maggie and I agree I wish I could write like her. I can't wait to dig into this one.

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Hi, My name is Rachel and I am an avid book reader. I enjoy reading any genre. I mostly read Young Adult (YA) books, but I also enjoy Agatha Christie mysteries. My favorite genres include paranormal, mysteries, realistic fiction and historical fiction. I hope you enjoy reading my blog!